Awareness of the connection between health and the destruction of the planet is growing.
It is a message that Dr Maria Neira, the director of public health and environment at the World Health Organization, says the international body has been championing for two decades.
“The combustion of fossil fuels is literally, literally killing us,” she told me at Cop27 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, deforestation, the trade of wildlife and “aggressive” agricultural practices can cause epidemics like the coronavirus, she said.
“We are ... creating this contact between humans and animals where it didn't happen before,” she said.
On the flip side, if the world decides to act and reduce global heating and stop destroying ecosystems the health benefits will be “enormous”, she said.
By introducing sustainable transport and cutting air pollution mayors of cities around the world can choose to save lives, she said. By stopping deforestation nations could minimise the risk of diseases spreading, and by limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels the world could reduce the number of deadly heatwaves.
Dr Neira said she was “fully convinced” that protecting human health is the argument that will change the speed and the level of ambition being exhibited by nations when tackling global heating. Here’s hoping it delivers in time.
Read more of my interview with Dr Neira here.
Meanwhile, protesters were spotted inside the summit grounds calling for climate reparations and an end to fossil fuels.
Thursday at Cop27 will be “youth and future generation day” and I’ve been catching up with some young activists from around the world who say they've traveled to Cop to make sure their voices are heard. More on that tomorrow.
For now, I leave you with the view from the Cop27 media centre below.
